‘Thornton relief road will boost businesses’ - minister

THE long-awaited Thornton relief road was given the go-ahead because it will boost the economy, roads minister Mike Penning said yesterday.

The £17m bypass will finally be built between Switch Island in Aintree and Thornton – decades after it was first proposed. Work on the scheme will not start until 2012 because of a backlog of projects.

But Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday pledged his commitment to the road, as well as to the new Mersey Gateway bridge.

Speaking at Switch Island, Mr Penning told the Daily Post: “The project is going ahead because once we got funding from the Treasury we looked at the business plan as to how certain projects will help the economy.

“We looked at how it would help the environment and help local people. For the community here, it’s absolutely vital and by saying that the money is available the local authority can go forward.”

The 4.2km road will connect Switch Island M57 and M58 interchange with the A565 to Crosby, relieving Green Lane and Lydiate Lane of thousands of vehicles each day.